Not an Ordinary Day

Saturday was not our normal, ordinary volunteer day at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. On our morning safety run we saw this Indigo snake. It had been stretched out straight, but by the time I got the camera aimed its way, it had doubled back and was headed off the road. These snakes are very large but not poisonous.



It was a humid morning and so our view of the Rio Grande was foggy. This is what we see when we walk down the Jaguarundi Trail on each tram tour (minus the fog).



A dead branch had fallen off a tree and onto the Wildlife Drive. It was small enough we didn't have to call out the fire department and their chain saws. John just moved the pieces to the side of the road.



We picked up some trash as we drove around the refuge, so on our way back I threw it into the trash dumpster. Look at what was staring back at me!



Later another volunteer, Mel, scared the fellow out, only to find there were two raccoons there. We only saw the one when we took the photo.

One more critter before our first tour: John spotted this 9-Banded Armadillo in the garden area near where we park the tram. Now I have seen a Bobcat, John has seen an Armadillo. (He would have been happier if he had seen the Bobcat.)



I have been connecting with some distant relatives during our time here. We have met Harry and Marilyn twice already and during our lunch yesterday, they came to the refuge with Juanita and her husband, Jim. Both Harry and Juanita are related to my dad's side of the family. Harry is on my paternal grandfather's side, Juanita on my paternal grandmother's side. It was fun to meet Juanita and get some of her genealogy materials. Every little additional link--a name, a date--helps fill out the picture of my past.



All of this excitement was in addition to three tram tours with a total of 32 passengers. By the time we got home, it was time to kick back and relax.

Friday was a much quieter day at the refuge. We saw this great sun rise on the way to work. (This was taken at 7:33 am.)